These terms refer to treatment using irradiation with light of low power intensity so that the effects produce a response to light and not due to heat. Many terms are used to commonly describe this process but do not ideally reflect the mechanisms involved with the treatment used in our office. They do not adequately distinguish the therapy from to other laser based therapies that rely on hating tissue to achieve an effect.

Photobiomodulation therapy is the the laser therapy we use. It is a form of light therapy based on the photochemical process called photobiomodulation therapy. In this therapy, the light source is in or near contact with the skin, and light energy penetrates the skin reaching the mitochondria of the damaged or diseased tissue leading to stimulation. This process results in beneficial therapeutic outcomes like the alleviation of pain, the regulation of inflammation, immune assisting response, and the promotion of tissue regeneration and the speed of healing.

Every eukaryotic cell in an animal’s body has one or many thousand cellular power plants called the mitochondrion. These mitochondria are responsible for providing most of the required ATP for cells. ATP is the chemical responsible for energy release within cells that drives a multitude of cellular and physiological functions including those directly related to injury repair and pain relief.
When a cell is damaged through injury or trauma, the mitochondrion, figuratively speaking, curls up like a hedgehog. Once this happens, the production of ATP is drastically reduced, or even ceased. As a result, the rate of healing slows dramatically. Cells exposed to infra-red light (Low Level Laser Therapy) at the right frequency, causes the mitochondrion to spring into action almost immediately producing increased amounts of ADP. The ADP then links with free oxygen singlets to produce ATP. Again, infra-red light increases the production of ATP in damaged or resting mitochondria.

Laser Therapy is the application of red light and near infrared radiation over injuries or lesions to stimulate healing and relieve pain without sensation or side effects. It is popularly used for the treatment of sports injuries, several different chronic pain syndromes and non-healing wounds such as venous and diabetic ulcers. Many new applications for this treatment are being used and investigated including smoking cessation, weight loss, addiction therapy, nerve regeneration for spinal cord injuries, and muscle atrophy for astronauts on long term space missions. The term adopted by NASA and U.S. military scientists is Photobiomodulation. Effectiveness of Laser Therapy depends on the color of the light (wavelength), intensity, and total energy delivered.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition where the median nerve becomes pinched and inflamed at the wrist. People with carpal tunnel can experience numbness, tingling, have difficulty buttoning shirts or opening jars due to weakness in grip and pinch strength.

According to the American Academy of Neurology they would like to see non-surgiccal approaches to the treatment utilized before surgery is considered. One of the reasons why 40% of neurologist polled recommended non-surgical care is due to the potential side effects of surgery, some of which being severe, resulting in lengthy work loss post-surgically. Here is their list of non-surgical care options:

Rest – Giving the inflamed CTS time to heal is therapeutic but not always an option.

Activity/job modifications – Avoiding certain activities or modifying them by taking breaks during the work day, slowing down the pace of the job, altering the position of the job task, such as propping up a part so that the wrists do not have to bend to the extremes, or when necessary, complete avoidance of the job task.

Wrist Splint – This is a brace that maintains the wrist in a neutral position so it cannot easily bend. When the wrist flexes or extends, the pressure inside the carpal tunnel (on the palm side of the wrist) increases significantly, placing additional pressure on the already pinched median nerve. Wrist splints are especially useful at night.

Nerve Gliding Exercises – These are exercises that stretch the wrist joint and muscle tendons (as well as the median nerve inside the carpal tunnel), with the objective of breaking adhesions that limit the normal glide or movement of the nerve in the forearm and wrist.

Manual therapy techniques – These include manipulation of the arm including the forearm, wrist, and hand and sometimes the neck and shoulder, when needed. The objective is to improve the range of motion of the joints and soft tissues that may be participating in the process of median nerve pinching which is where Chiropractic can help. We have several treatments that take care of the joint involvement, the inflammation, the wrist splint, job modification, and the exercises that help.

It is not often that I make a recommendation, but the information that can be found here is amazingly good.

Allergies are just one sign that you have an inflammatory condition. There are many indications, here are just a few from dizziness, headaches and even confusion. If your brain is inflamed it will be confused. If the blood vessels are inflamed then you can be confused. You can even have an inflamed heart, where the pulse is weak, there is a pain in the chest, and you faint. Remember inflammation is an allergic reaction. It can cause you chest to tighten, your throat to itch and your bronchi in your lungs to swell making it difficult to breath. If it is in your digestive tract, then you will experience nausea, stomach pains, difficulty with digestion, and constipation or diarrhea. Of course, many of you are familiar with the hayfever allergies that come with the season, the allergic reaction to medications and food that bring on skin rashes, itching and swellings or hives.

All these are just indications that your body is over responding. Returning your body to normal function is the key to good health. Our food supply has gotten so narrow in variety, in nutrients, that we need to look at what is working for those who think outside the box.

Yes, cold weather brings pain to the joints, just like any change in the weather. The most accurate method of predicting storms is to see the increase of patients to our clinic. So why do some patients seem to be able to predict the coming rains based on their aches and pains? It is true, many people do feel back pain, neck pain or other joint complaints in conjunction with the approaching storms. Believe it or not, there is some validity to their weather forecasting abilities.

The reason has to do with the degree of inflammation that has accumulated in the area, whether we are aware of or not. Weather itself does not cause pain, but what they do is exacerbate the inflammation that is already there. That is why not everyone experiences pain when the storm comes in, or the barometric pressure drops.

Inflammation is one of the greatest reasons why the body does not respond to treatment. The more chronic the condition, the more likely there is wide-spread inflammation in the system. One of the best nutritional treatments I have found to give very quick relief and decrease the amount of inflammation in the system is NutriWest TLM

People with diets that promote inflammation — such as those high in sugar and saturated fats — are at increased risk for early death from all causes, including gastrointestinal tract cancers, a new study suggests. Gastrointestinal tract cancers include cancers of the esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum. Watching your sugar and saturated fat diet is more important than just those with diabetes. Anyone can have a systemic inflammatory condition. Systemic inflammatory conditions can be given a wide variety of names, from irritable bowl syndrome to fibromyalgia.

“Studies have shown that diet can modify inflammation, and inflammation can drive the growth of many cancers, such as colorectal cancer,” study co-author Susan Steck, an associate professor at the University of South Carolina, said in a news release from the American Institute for Cancer Research. Taking care of the inflammed condition will go a long ways to preventing cancer growths. Diet and exercise are always good even for those in excellent health. specific dietary changes are necessary for those who are starting to show symptoms. Eat more greens, reds, and yellow foods.

This new study included more than 10,500 people who were followed from 1987 through 2003. By the end of that time, more than 250 of the participants had died, including 30 from gastrointestinal tract cancers. The importance of keeping your sugar level down, and your good nutrition is vital, but is more important when you are already feeling the symptoms is something to help clear the system of the inflammation, thus giving you a fresh start.

Those with diets most strongly associated with inflammation were 53 percent more likely to die early from all causes than those with the most anti-inflammatory diets. The risk of death from gastrointestinal tract cancers was four times higher among people with diets most likely to cause inflammation than among those with the most anti-inflammatory diets, such as plant-based diets.

The findings were presented Nov. 7 at the annual meeting of the American Institute for Cancer Research, in Bethesda, Md. The data and conclusions of the study should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

“This study adds support to the recommendations to consume a more anti-inflammatory diet, rich in plant-based foods that contain numerous anti-inflammatory nutrients and phytochemicals,” study lead author Fred Tabung, a doctoral candidate in epidemiology at the University of South Carolina, said in the news release. One of the best products I have found that works wonders for inflamed conditions is Nutri West’s Total Inflamm. Many of my patient’s have loved the results, and so can you. Try it today and see the results. Those vague uneasy discomforts can be something of the past. Follow this link

“Due to the small number of gastrointestinal tract cancers in our study, our finding needs to be confirmed in larger … studies,” Tabung said. This research also showed only an association between inflammation-associated diets and risk of early death. It did not necessarily prove a cause-and-effect link. So now is the time to do something about this before it gets worse.

Low level Laser Therapy is also called Cold Laser Therapy. It is a form of phototherapy using low power coherent light on injuries and lesions to stimulate healing. What the cold laser therapy is used to increase the speed, quality, and strength of the fibers in tissue repair. This is a relatively new therapy that is changing the way that the medical field is looking at handling chronic injuries, pain management, neurological impairment, and facilitating the healing process of these conditions.

The effects of the Low Level Laser Therapy is in the fact that it is not in the thermal range, but in the photochemical. As you know every color has its frequency level which is why it is known as a photochemical therapy. In the medical world, you may have heard of the use of hot lasers used in surgical precision work. It is somewhat confusing with the variety of lasers used in today’s many fields. But the biggest distinction is in the difference between that which cuts and that which heals.

During the treatment of the tissue where the cold laser is being applied, the photons from the laser and the cells being affected. What happens is that the laser photons enter into the tissue, altering the cell membrane permeability, and the light is then absorbed into the mitochondria. The mitochondria is known as the power supply house of the cell, and it is where ATP [energy] is made. Light increases the amount of ATP made in the area which helps with rapid cell growth and reproduction. It will increase the speed of wound healing by stimulating the fibroblast development in damaged tissues. This causes a reduction in the recovery time. The metabolic activity within the cell is increased by helping the body to increase the output of specific enzymes. Even oxygen in the blood cells is stimulated and that increases the effectiveness of the immune responses. All adhesions, fibrous tissue formation, scars, are reduced whether they are recently formed or old scars. The laser even works on bruising or inflammation of joints with its anti-inflammatory properties. With the stimulation of the lymph and circulation system, the are surrounding injury is cleansed of unwanted matter and fluids. Even the nerve function is influenced with stimulation to reconnect the numb areas with live endings. All these changes change the majority of cells like macrophages, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, mast cells, nerve conduction rate, energy communication pathways by transferred kinetic energy and activating enzymes.

Research has shown that the cells of your body actively communicate with each other through light. By using laser light this communication causes physiological responses in the cells involved. This is extremely important when working towards healing tissues of injured area and promote general healing of a variety of conditions.

When you injury yourself the metabolism of the injured area decreases and the laser actually will increase the metabolism immediately. The common response from doctors and patients is WOW!!!

When used in conjunction with acupuncture points stimulation the improvement affects the whole well being of the patient. Our office offers this low laser therapy in treating a variety of conditions. If you would like to give this a try, give us a call for a free consultation to see if this is a good fit for your condition. We have found that when the laser is applied with Chiropractic care, the results achieved is enhanced. This therapy is very effective and safe for children.

If you think by drinking diet or sugar-free sodas that you are helping with the weight loss, you are doing the opposite. But what is worse is that the chemical in those diet sodas is poison. In a nutshell, the Aspartame in the diet soda will literally help you die a slow and miserable death.

If it says ‘SUGAR FREE’ on the label, drop the product with a reviling “ewwww!!!!” and RUN.. Do not even give it another consideration. Leave it on the store floor. Understand this, in the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the United States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. Research has shown that when asked many tell of their efforts to lose weight started with switching to “diet” sodas. Did you know that airplane pilots are not allowed to consume any aspartame products…. EVER!!!

Aspartame is so dangerous that when the temperature of the sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde then to formic acid which causes metabolic acidosis. Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants. The methanol toxicity mimics multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. But that is not all it does.

Many people were being diagnosed in error. Although multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, Methanol toxicity is!

Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially with the Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers. People do not know that the Aspartame is the culprit. Cases where vision loss returned and hearing loss improved markedly along with the symptoms of systemic lupus and multiple sclerosis once they get off of the diet sodas.

If you consuming aspartame in any of the array of products out on the market like Nutra Sweet, Equal, Spoonful, almost all chewing gums, etc and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting, pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss you probably have aspartame poisoning.

Aspartame passes the blood/brain barrier where it destroys the neurons of the brain causing various levels of brain damage, Seizures, Depression, Manic depression, Panic attacks, Uncontrollable anger and rage. Documentation and research and clinical observation have shown that thousands of children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD have had complete turnarounds in their behavior when aspartame has been removed from their diet.

Now you are thinking, ok, I have these symptoms and I can quit drinking sodas, read labels to make sure I am not consuming aspartame, but is my conditions reversible? Yes! First make sure you have stopped drinking diet sodas and are very alert for Aspartame on food labels. I hate reading labels, but I do it all the time with any packaged foods now. Many products are fortified with it. It is crazy where you can run across the aspartame chemical. Eliminate aspartame from your diet. I can not stress this enough. It causes a toxic buildup of formaldehyde and DKP in the body. There is a detox program in another blog I did earlier which can help.

Eat your vegetables. Carrots are known absorbents of toxins including radiation. Other vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussels sprouts are good cleaners. Take dandelion and milk thistle during the detox process. You can read about it in my detox blog as this part of the detox is good for the liver. Ingest golden seal and echinacea to boost your immune system. Echinacea is popular for protection against colds.

Wait 60 days and see if your symptoms improve. If they don’t, you may need to eliminate other toxins from your body, but you should consult your doctor first.

I would like you to also know that Diet soda is not a diet product. It is a chemically altered, multiple sodium (salt) and aspartame jacked product that will actually makes you crave more carbohydrates, what I call the munchie syndrome. And you wonder why you continue to not lose weight but gain weight.

Remember how I mentioned earlier that aspartame converts to formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is stored in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs. Formaldehyde is an absolute toxin and is used primarily to preserve tissue specimens and is used in the morgue to preserve dead bodies. Not something you want to store in your live body.

Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. If you are a diabetic with retinopathy, it could be because of the aspartame in your products you consume and the retinopathy is an aspartame poisoning. Aspartame drives the blood sugar out of control. Diabetics can also suffer acute memory loss because the aspartic acid and the phenylalanine are neurotoxins.

Warning… it can cause birth defects, i.e. mental retardation, if taken at the time of conception and during early pregnancy. Children are especially at risk for neurological disorders and should never be given artificial sweeteners. There are many different case histories to relate of children suffering grand mal seizures, other neurological disturbances, in fact, a pandemic of neurological diseases are directly caused by the use of this deadly poison.

Monsanto’s patent on Aspartame has expired. Now the flood gates are open for many more products on the market to contain this deadly chemical.

Senator Howard Metzenbaum wrote and presented a bill that would require label warnings on products containing Aspartame, especially for pregnant women, children and infants. The bill would also more institute independent studies on the known dangers and the problems existing in the general population regarding seizures, changes in brain chemistry, neurological changes and behavioural symptoms.
The bill was killed.

Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue has been poorly understood, poorly diagnosed, and poorly treated because of the lack of understanding. I am going to approach this health issue from a different perspective. Something is inflaming and causing pain throughout the body. Let’s take a serious look at what is going on, breaking it down, step by step.

Let’s look at the lack of energy aspect for a moment. In the science world, the body’s energy is called ATP. This little ATP energy packet is produced in every cell of the body. To be specific it is produced in the mitochondria portion of the cell. The mitochondrial has been called the manufacture plant of the human cells. The assembly plant within this manufacture plant is called the Krebs Cycle. Science research has noted that there is a breakdown in the Krebs Cycle which stops the production of ATP, your energy. At a certain point in the Krebs Cycle, the researchers have found where this breakdown occurs. It is where the malic acid is introduced into the mix to create the ATP energy packet.

Recently, Malic Acid as a nutritional supplement has been used to stimulate the Kreb cycle production of ATP successfully. That is good news for Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgic patients. For the chronic fatigue aspect of fibromyalgia patients, this deficiency has been traced back to the incomplete production and activity in the Krebs cycle. The key to the pain aspect is the inability of pyruvic acid to enter into the cycle for energy production and is left in the cells to create that burning sensation. And you wondered why you hurt all over. By shutting down the second half of the Krebs cycle, a buildup of lactic acid occurs. Lactic acid also creates a burning sensation which any athlete can attest to after a work out. It will continue to burn until the body removes it from the cell. With acidification of the tissues comes a localized decrease in oxygenation of the tissues and subsequent symptoms that Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia patients are familiar with.

Malic acid has been reported to also be beneficial in supporting stress, tender points, pain, persistent fatigue, muscular pain, arthritic-like symptoms without any evidence like on x-ray, and healthy people who are recovering from exercise programs. Now to get into more details on how this all works to produce that much needed ATP in the body. Glucose provides fuel for the body. The two ways that the body produces ATP energy.

First and fastest, is a process called glycolysis. This is the breakdown of glucose to pyruvic acid and also lactic acid. Pyruvic acid is normally converted to energy in the presence of oxygen, carbon dioxide and water. Then there is the way through the Krebs cycle, the site of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. Here are the places where the optimal function can not be achieved.

First the whole process is dependent on the amount of glucose available. Fructose that is manufactured from corn to high fructose that is often found in manufactured products can not be properly metabolized and is sent to the fat cells to be stored. And you wondered why you keep getting fatter and fatter. THe kind of glucose you want comes from regular unprocessed goods, whether they be fruit or vegetables. The body can utilize these quickly and easily into the digestive system, through the blood stream and into the cells where the mitochondria will convert it to the kind of energy the body can use.

Another factor is the amount of oxygen that gets to the muscles and cells. So breathe deeply, filling your lungs with good clean fresh air, and the way to do that is to learn to breathe properly. Most people are shallow breathers without really knowing it. Unless you have been professionally taught how to breathe in singing classes, chances are you are not using all of your lungs to their full potential. Take this little test. Use your stomach muscle to pull air down into the bottom of your lungs, then use those same stomach muscle to push all the stale air out of your lungs. If you would do this exercise even two to three times, minimum, twice a day, do it first thing in the morning and just before going to bed and you will benefit. It is even better if you go outside and take in some fresh air when you do this. Your body will gain even more benefit from the fresh air. Of course, if you train yourself to breath like this normally, the more oxygen into the system the healthier you will be.

Next is the delivery of oxygen to the muscle. Best way to get oxygen to the muscle is to do the proper breathing while you are walking. This greatly increases the chances of getting the rich oxygenated blood to the cells. It is good to have the blood pumping through the body bringing the rich oxygenated blood to the cells, and removing the toxic wastes from the cells.

Then we get into the rate of enzyme function ability of the mitochondria in the cells to process. Because of the junk food that we consume has gotten into the Kreb Cycle and clogged up the site for Malic Acid production, supplementing with Malic Acid aids in completing the ATP production where the production breakdown is.

Back to the first way which I mentioned earlier on the two ways energy is made. Because energy can be produced quickly by the glycolytic pathway, it is usually the first chosen. But with the accumulation of lactic acid in tissues and the depletion of glycogen stores because of poor eating habits it runs poor second in the production of ATP.

Quick summary review, it has been found that Malic Acid acts as a catalyst to the Krebs cycle to produce energy from the burning of pyruvic acid, without the associated buildup of lactic acid. That is good news, because that means you hurt less. No acid in the cells to create that painful burning sensation. In research studies, it has been shown that Malic Acid, when given with magnesium, resulted in a reduction in tender points of 41 percent after four weeks and 76.5 percent after eight weeks. The good news is that in some cases, as little as 48 hours was needed for noticeable improvement. That is why I recommending Malic Acid with Magnesium for Chronic Fatigue and / or Fibromyalgia.

Pain comes in a wide variety of forms, including aches, soreness, tenderness, throbbing, burning, stabbing and other descriptions that a patient uses to try and describe the sensations that they are experiencing. It is the most common symptom that sends a patient to the office seeking relief.

The acute pain is an unpleasant experience that is primarily associated with a recent injury. The details that the patient gives when describing the circumstances that caused the injury and the place and type of pain they are having to their doctor goes a long way towards a proper diagnosis . In taking the history, your doctor will try to learn the chronology, nature, aggravating and alleviating factors that influence the pain.

When pain becomes chronic, the accumulation of factors have now increase with many added influences like anxiety, depression, social, economic and medication. Because of the psychic or emotional factors influence the pain threshold, so also will they influence the speed of healing.

I have found that there are two major factors in the healing process. It often has to do with the type of people they are. If a person is an “A” type of person, they are more apt to being worriers, over self analyzing, and have troubles relaxing. If a person is a “B” type of person, they are more apt to let troubles be, looking forward, and are more relaxed about what life throws their way. Everyone is more or less of both types. The healing response is normally faster for the “B” type of person.

Inflammation is one of the greatest reasons why the body does not respond to treatment. The more chronic the condition, the more likely there is wide spread inflammation in the system. One of the best nutritional treatments I have found to give very quick relief and decrease the amount of inflammation in the system is NutriWest TLM

The active ingredient in Turmeric is curcumin. The medicinal properties of this spice have been slowly revealing themselves over the centuries. Long known for its anti-inflammatory properties, recent research has revealed that turmeric is a natural wonder, proving beneficial in the treatment of many different health conditions from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease.

Some health benefits of turmeric are that its a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent, useful in disinfecting cuts and burns. When combined with cauliflower, it has shown to prevent prostate cancer and stop the growth of existing prostate cancer. It is known to prevented breast cancer from spreading to the lungs in mice. There is even research out there that indicate that it may prevent melanoma and cause existing melanoma cells to commit suicide. Because of its health benefits there is some growing evidence that it reduces the risk of childhood leukemia. My favorite reason to season with Turmeric is that besides adding flavor to my dish, is that it is a natural liver detoxifier.

Now there is evidence coming out that it may prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by removing amyloyd plaque buildup in the brain because it is one of the few nutrients that can cross the blood brain barrier. While I am on the subject of Turmeric and its relationship with cancer, I want you to know that it may prevent metastases from occurring in many different forms of cancer. For those who are on the chemo medication paclitaxel, it will boost the effects and at the same time reduce the side effects. Researchers are looking at some promising studies of its effect on pancreatic cancer. There are other studies that are starting to reveal just how positive in effect it has on multiple myeloma. There is also some strong indications that it stops the growth of new blood vessels in tumors. Turmeric has shown promise in slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis in mice.

When I prescribe a suppliment that has Turmeric in it, it is because it is a natural painkiller and cox-2 inhibitor. Another thing we do know is that it speeds up wound healing and decreases scarring. In other skin conditions, like psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions, the evidence of healing is mounting. It also may aid in fat metabolism and help in weight management. I even found out that the Chinese have been using Turmeric for depression for centuries. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it is the natural choice for treating arthritis. It is a potent natural anti-inflammatory that works as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs but without the side effects, in fact, I have patients who after taking many varieties of anti-inflammatory medications, have found that Nutri-West Total Inflam or TLM [which I recommend http://astore.amazon.com/energizingyourlife-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=3 ] to be “worth its weight in gold” as one patient described its outstanding effect.

Turmeric can be taken in powder or pill form. As a spice, I use it on a regular basis in recipes. It is good to add to any soup or seasoning combination. It adds a nice flavor to any egg or meat dishes, and stir fries.

If you have gallstones or some bile obstruction, it is wise to clear the system with a liver and gall bladder cleanse first. If you are pregnant, remember that Turmeric does have a uterine stimuli properties. In this case, it would be wise to consult your physician before starting on a therapeutic level.